Frankenmuth Historical Museum

A small but well-curated museum in the old Star Cafe building on Main Street, telling the story of the Bavarian colony that founded the town in 1845. The original settlers came from Franconia as Lutheran missionaries — their initial plan was to convert the local Chippewa, an effort that quickly faded into farming and brewing.

A visit takes about an hour. The collection includes original immigrant trunks, the press from the town's German-language newspaper, and a model of the original 1845 settlement.

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